The present invention relates to the field of outdoor activities and, more particularly, to the fields of dispensing a scent during a hunting excursion and marking a trail during a recreational or work-related outdoor venture.
Hunters of deer and other game animals frequently rely on some type of animal lure to assist them in tracking and sighting game. Usually, the lure a hunter employs is a scented substance, the odor of which is an animal attractant. Other scented substances likewise are used to mask natural odors associated with the hunter that would otherwise warn the animal of the hunter""s presence thereby hindering the hunter""s ability to track the animal.
Many of the commercially available scented substances are provided in liquid form and applied directly to the clothes or boots of the hunter. The scent, however, ordinarily wears off relatively quickly because of the type of fabrics commonly used for hunting apparel. This tendency is exacerbated by rain and other weather conditions the hunter frequently encounters during an outdoor excursion, as well as by the hunter""s brushing against tree limbs and shrubs as the hunter moves through a wooded area in pursuit of prey.
Various types of devices have attempted to deal with some of these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,010 to Grinarmi titled Scent Dispenser For Attachment Under A Shoe suggest positioning a tubular dispenser within the arch on the underside of a hunter""s boot, the tube being held in place by a tie extending the laces of the boot. The problem, however, is that, so positioned, the device is all the more exposed to mud and rain puddles rendering the device less effective and reducing its effective life. The device can also be tedious to apply, requiring the hunter to reach down, loop the device around the hunter""s boot and, fasten the device with a buckle or other fastener.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,477 to Floyd titled Scented Hunting Strap, is somewhat similar to the Grinarmi device in relying on a strap having a pair of fasteners such as buckles or complementary hook-and-loop portions that permit the strap to be secured to the hunter""s angle or arm, or a separate object. Floyd, however, also requires that the hunter stop and apply the device by using both hands so as to wrap the device and then connect the fasteners. To replace the scent while hunting, the hunter must stop and use both hands to secure the device. This not only interrupts the hunter""s stalking, but also can create noises as the hunter works to secure the device with a buckle or other such fastenerxe2x80x94noises that can alert the hunter""s prey to the hunter""s presence.
As an alternative, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,439 to Wilcox titled Scent Lure Dispensing Device suggests attaching a container to the hunter""s ankle to be dragged along behind as the hunter moves along a trail. This device, however, is clumsy in that it drags behind the hunter and also can be noisy, thereby alerting the prey to the hunter""s presence and accordingly undercutting the very purpose of the device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,667 to Fore titled Device For Luring Deer avoids positioning the device on the sole of the hunter""s boot or dragging it behind the hunter by providing an adhesive strip that attaches, for example, to the toe of the boot. This, nonetheless poses many of the limitations as with Grinarmi, namely that the device is still largely exposed to mud and rain puddles thereby reducing its effectiveness and longevity. Perhaps more importantly, as with each of the other devices, the hunter must stop any other activity and use two hands to attach the device to a boot and secure it there.
There thus is a need for a device for dispensing a scent quickly and efficiently without having to stop, position the device, and fasten it in place with a buckle or other fastener requiring use of both hands.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention advantageously provides an apparatus that more easily and more readily attaches a scent dispenser to a pre-selected object. More specifically, the apparatus according to the present invention permits a hunter to rapidly, in one movement, single handedly attach a scent dispenser to a tree limb, a rung on a ladder, or any other conveniently positioned object. In this way, the hunter is able to move along a trail laying down a scent intended to attract a deer or other animal without even stopping. The hunter is able to move quietly and quickly along a chosen path while efficiently deploying scent dispensers at strategically chosen locations. The hunter thus can easily lay out the scent along a trail leading directly to the hunter""s stand.
At the same time, the apparatus also can be used to dispense a scent blocker so as to mask the hunter""s scent. The scent dispenser easily attaches to the hunter""s arm, wrist, or ankle. Just as easily it can be attached to a lace of the hunter""s boot or the band of the hunter""s cap. The scent dispenser thus provides a convenient and effective dispersal of the scent blocker so as to mask animal-alarming scents associated with the hunter as well as the hunter""s apparel and equipment. Blocking these scent""s permits the hunter to move more efficaciously along the trail and to position him or herself at a strategically located hunter""s stand.
According to the present invention, the apparatus provides additional advantages as well as scent dispensing and scent blocking. For example, the apparatus can be covered with a material having a pattern pre-selected to include the colors of the foliage of the environment for the season in which the hunter is engaged. Thus, the apparatus is effectively camouflaged. Moreover, while substantially camouflaging the apparatus, the cover material can include a limited-size marker such as a single, small bright orange spot. This can allow the hunter to easily locate in daylight the location of the apparatus. Conversely, if the apparatus is attached to the hunter""s person, apparel, or equipment, the marker can serve to caution other hunters in the vicinity of the hunter""s presence. So too, the marker can serve to identify for the hunter the perimeters of a chosen field of fire. Likewise, the marker can serve as a range gauge that can be viewed from a distance as the hunter is positioned at his or her stand. The apparatus can further include a signal reflector (e.g., a light reflector) so that the apparatus can be located in the dark using light generated, for example, by a flashlight.
The various features of the apparatus provide a system, moreover, for dispensing and blocking scents as well as marking trails and fields-of-fire perimeters and ranges. The apparatus, specifically, can be used jointly with multiple, identical devices to provide a system whereby the hunter is able to move quietly and quickly along a trail efficiently attaching the combination scent dispenser-marker to pre-selected objects as described above. The hunter, then, can return finding his or her way along the same path guided by the plurality of combination scent dispenser-markers. The visible mark in day and the light reflector at night permit the hunter not only to find his or her way along the trail, but also easily retrieve the plurality of combination scent dispenser-markers already deployed. The retrieved scent dispenser-markers can be replenished and redeployed during a subsequent hunting excursion.
The self-fastening capability of the apparatus provides a significant advantage over conventional devices. Conventional devices rely on straps, belts, and similar attaching devices which are not only cumbersome but are also slow to effect and require the hunter to put down his or her gun or other equipment so as to be able to use both hands to position the device and connect up the buckles or other fastening members. In sharp contrast, the apparatus according to the present invention permits single-handed attachment in a single movement. Specifically, the apparatus is readily attached by striking the apparatus against the pre-selected object. The apparatus is self-fastening. Therefore, with one hand, the apparatus can be deployed and secured to an object by striking the object with the apparatus. Attachment is preferably effected with an attachment that is a generally rectangular strip biased to take on and remain in a coiled alignment unless stretched out into a substantially elongate shape.
More specifically, the apparatus preferably includes a substantially elongate body, preferably formed of a semi-rigid material. The substantially elongate body has a substantially convex first surface with the direction of curvature of the convex surface being substantially perpendicular to the direction of elongation and a substantially concave second surface opposite the first with the direction of curvature of the concave surface, again, being substantially perpendicular to the direction of elongation of the substantially elongate body. Thus, the apparatus can be stretched into a substantially elongate alignment with the convex and concave surfaces of the elongate body supplying resistance to the body""s natural tendency to coil. When struck, however, the body""s tendency to coil is not impeded and the force of the blow tends to flatten out the convex and concave surfaces so that it self-fastens to the object struck.
The self-fastening capability of the apparatus provides considerable advantages. Among these are the ability of the user to be able to single handedly attach the scent dispenser to a pre-selected object by simply tapping the pre-selected object with a modest amount of force. During a typical hunting excursion, the hunter can move through a wooded area and at selected points stop and draw from his or her jacket a scent dispenser connected to the scent dispenser attachment. Quietly, the hunter can gently strike a tree limb or branch and easily and quickly attach thereto the scent dispenser. Thus, the hunter can lay out a scent line leading directly to the hunter""s stand. When the hunter reaches his or her stand, another scent dispenser can be attached using the scent dispenser attachment to a rung on the ladder leading to the stand perched off the ground.
The same apparatus can just as readily be used with a scent blocker already described, in which case the scent dispenser can be attached using the scent dispenser attachment by threading it under the laces of the hunter""s boot, tapping it against the hunter""s ankle or wrist, or even wrapping it over the adjustment band of the hunter""s cap.
The present invention also provides a method for dispensing a scent. Specifically, the method includes providing at least one scent dispenser and at least one corresponding scent dispenser attachment adapted to receive and hold a scent dispenser. Moreover, the at least one scent dispenser attachment is capable of self-fastening to a pre-selected object whenever a user strikes the at least one scent dispenser attachment against an object. The method can include camouflaging the at least one scent dispenser and scent dispenser attachment by at least partially covering each with a patterned material that substantially resembles the environment in which the scent dispenser and scent attachment are deployed. In addition, the method can also include positioning a reflector responsive to light on the scent dispenser attachment to thereby permit the scent dispenser and scent dispenser attachment to be located in the dark with a generated beam of light.
The present invention further provides a method for marking a trail. The method specifically includes providing a plurality of self-fastening markers each of which contains a highly visible marking that can permit the user to readily locate by sight each of the plurality of markers.